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Death of Holy Spirit Student, Stephen Merritt

Dan Graves, MSL

You may move the hands of a clock to suit you, but you do not change
the time; so you hurry the unfolding of God's will, but you harm and do
not help the work. You can open a rosebud but you spoil the flower.
Leave all to Him. Hands down. Thy will, not mine."

Stephen Merritt, who wrote those words, died on
this day, January 29, 1917. A wealthy New Yorker, he gave much
time to overseas missions and to New York's poor. He had studied the
work of the Holy Spirit. This led to the encounter for which he is most
famous.

As a secretary to the Methodist missionary-bishop, William Taylor,
Stephen met many missionaries. One was a young lady named Elizabeth
MacNeil. Stephen could see that she was feeling overwhelmed as she left
for Africa. Gently he advised her to humble herself before the Lord and
commit herself to Him. The Holy Spirit, he assured her, would empower
her to do the work for which she was sent abroad.

Lizzie taught a young African named Sammy Morris everything she knew
about the Holy Spirit. Sammy hungered to learn more. When she said there
was nothing else she could teach him, he asked, "Who taught you about
the Holy Spirit?"

"Stephen Merritt," she replied. Sammy questioned her. Who was this
Stephen? Where did he live? Satisfied, he said goodbye. Without money or
a map, he headed for America. Protected by God, who miraculously met his
needs, Sammy arrived in New York. Stephen lived several miles from the
dock. God arranged that the first person Sammy met was an alcoholic who
had once been in one of Stephen's shelters.

The man led Sammy to the St. James Street Methodist Episcopal Church
where Stephen served as pastor. Stephen was heading off to a prayer
meeting and sent Sammy next door to a rescue mission he bankrolled.
Stephen had gotten into trouble with the law because his prayer meetings
had a way of running too late at night. However, on this night, he
returned home about 10:30. Remembering Sammy, he drove back to the
mission. There he found seventeen men kneeling around the African, who
had led them to Christ. That night, to the surprise of his wife, Dolly,
Stephen took Sammy into his home and put him up in the bishop's room.
Sammy was the first black man who ever ate at Stephen's table. Much of
what we know about Sammy and his fervor for Christ was recorded by
Stephen.

He told this story on himself. "I took him (Sammy) in a coach with a
prancing team of horses, as I was going to Harlem to officiate at a
funeral. I said: 'Samuel, I would like to show you something of our city
and Central Park.'" Stephen showed Sammy the sights. Suddenly Sammy
asked, 'Stephen Merritt, do you ever pray in a coach?' Stephen assured
him he did.

Sammy placed his great, black hand on the white man's "...and,
turning me around on my knees, said: 'We will pray,' and for the first
time I knelt in a coach to pray. He told the Holy Spirit he had come
from Africa to talk to me about Him, and I talked about everything else,
and wanted to show him the church, and the city, and the people, when he
was so desirous of hearing and knowing about Him; and he asked Him if He
would not take out of my heart things, and so fill me with Himself, that
I would never speak or write or preach or talk, only of Him. There were
three of us in that coach that day. Never have I known such a day. We
were filled with the Holy Spirit, and He made him the channel by which I
became instructed and then endued as never before."

Bibliography:

Holden, David. Select Seed from the Granary. #99-4.

"Sammy Morris. A New World Appears, Quoting from Stephen Merritt."
http://www.geocities.com/virtuallibrary2000/
SammyMorris/6-A-New-World.html